The Pioneers had four former captains participate — Aaron McKenzie, Andrew Thomas, J.P. Testwuide and Rhett Rakhshani — and possible 2011-12 captain Drew Shore was among six current Pios who scrimmaged with the pros in the final 75 minutes.

The camp is run by DU associate head coach Steve Miller, outgoing assistant coach Derek Lalonde, new volunteer coach Matty Thomas and former DU skater Angelo Ricci, now director and U16 head coach of the Colorado Thunderbirds (Tier 1 triple-A youth organization).

DU’s George Gwozdecky was among six NCAA coaches that met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daily at the league’s Toronto headquarters on Tuesday.

The meeting, which Gwozdecky said included four NHL general managers, was about “the challenges we’re facing with the collective bargaining agreement coming up in (2011).”

In other words, it was primarily about keeping kids in school. The existing CBA that was established in 2005 allows for a player with four “accrued” seasons to become a free agent at age 27, four years earlier than the previous CBA. By lowering the age, NHL teams have signed their draft picks earlier, out of fear of losing them at age 27.

In the end, NHL-bound college players have been persuaded to sign pro deals long before they graduate. DU has lost 13 players early since 2005, including three last spring. Five Pioneers signed NHL deals after their sophomore years, beginning with Paul Stastny with the Avalanche in 2006.

Gwozdecky said early signings was just one of the topics.

“To be able to establish a dialogue with the NHL was a real positive step,” he said Wednesday from DU. “This wasn’t a problem-solving meeting. It was a real good opportunity to be able to establish some relationships and start a dialogue so perhaps when the NHL and NHLPA get together and start talking about the new collective bargaining agreement, college hockey can be a part of that mix.”

Gwozdecky was joined by Minnesota coach Don Lucia, Miami’s Rico Blasi, Jack Parker of Boston University, Michigan’s Red Berenson and Ted Donato of Harvard. A second meeting is planned, but has yet to be scheduled, Gwozdecky said.

LEAVING EARLY

The following DU players left school early for NHL or major-junior deals:

I stopped by DU today to check out Day 3 of the hockey program’s inaugural “pro camp,” and what I found was a collection of the area’s best live-in hockey players.

The Pioneers, who have a record amount of alumni playing in the NHL and other professional leagues, opened up the Murray Armstrong Hockey Complex, their new weight room and Joy Burns Arena to any professional hockey player living in the area.

It was an impressive group, led by the Avalanche’s Kyle Quincey and David Koci, former Avs Ben Guite and Steve Reinprecht, and former DU stars J.D. Corbin, Rhett Rakhshani, Gabe Gauthier, Peter Mannino, Marc Cheverie, Joe Colborne and J.P. Testwuide. Some other big-name former Pios _ Paul Stastny and Chris Butler _ took the day off but are expected to participate Thursday. The Avs’ Cody McLeod also went golfing Wednesday.

“Anytime you can come out and play with some pros like Stastny, it’s a great opportunity,” said Colborne, the 6-foot-5 forward who signed with the Boston Bruins in March after his sophomore year at DU. “I’m glad to be playing with guys playing at a level I want to be at and it’s a great way to get prepared for training camp.”

Guite, who played in college at Maine and recently signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, said: “So many guys live here in the offseason, its crazy we haven’t all gotten together before. This is a lot of fun. Good skate.”

DU associate head coach Steve Miller and assistant coach Derek Lalonde are running the camp. They worked with the pros from 10:15 a.m. to noon, and then left the ice after a resurfacing to allow the guys to scrimmage for an hour with amateurs. The amateurs were DU seniors Kyle Ostrow, Anthony Maiani, Dustin Jackson, Chris Nutini and John Ryder, and sophomores Matt Donovan and Paul Phillips.

“It’s a good experience for all of us here to play at that level, at that tempo,” said Ostrow, the newly named captain. “The games have been really fast. It’s nice for us to get that opportunity to get ready for the season.”

Ostrow and company said the most impressive players were Stastny, Butler and Quincey. But there sure weren’t many goals scored on Mannino and Cheverie.

“It’s fun to back with everyone,” said Cheverie, who signed with the Florida Panthers in April, ending his three-year NCAA career. “Playing with the older guys makes feels like you’re a freshman again . . . It’s beneficial to get back into the swing of things.”

The “older” guys Chevy were talking about included Ryan Dingle, Tom May and Geoff Paukovich, who was freshman in DU’s 2005 NCAA championship season.

Wednesday’s skaters also included Garnet Exelby, who played 51 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, and recent DU graduate Brandon Vossberg.

Hockey fans are welcome to watch the camp, which continues Thursday and ends Friday.

Please check www.denverpost.com/sports for breaking news about Joe Colborne’s decision to sign with the Boston Bruins. A complete story will be available in Thursday’s paper and online.

Based on my research, Joe Colborne is the 13th DU player to leave the program early for major-junior or NHL contracts since 2000, when Mark Rycroft started the trend. The list could grow to 15 within a week or two, depending on the direction sophomore defenseman Patrick Wiercioch and junior goalie Marc Cheverie take. Wiercioch is mulling an offer from the Ottawa Senators, and Cheverie is expected to sign with the Florida Panthers.

The recently established pipeline from the Colorado Thunderbirds to the University of Denver is flowing. Former Pioneers forward Angelo Ricci, who runs the triple-A amateur organization and coaches its under-16 team, told me today that U18 star Daniel Doremus has committed to play for DU.

Doremus is a forward who grew up in Aspen and Steamboat. He’s a 1991 birth year. Not sure of his immediate plans. I suspect he’ll play next season in junior-A. I will update.

“We are so proud of Daniel and wish him all the best in the future,” said Ricci, an assistant coach on the U18 team under another former Pio, defenseman Shawn Kurulak. “The Thunderbirds continue to provide a vehicle for the elite student-athlete to develop and advance to the next level.”

Ricci previously announced that three of his U17 players _ Gavin Stoick, Quentin Shore and Matias Cleland _ have been selected to tryout for the U.S. National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. That tryout could lead to an appointment on the USNDP’s U17 team. DU has had good success recruiting from the USNDP. Drew Shore is one of three current Pioneers freshmen to play for the U18 last season. Before the Thunderbirds were established, Colorado natives J.D. Corbin and Geoff Paukovich landed at DU from the USNDP.

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.